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I think one moment I will remember till I die is the first hunt with my first dog. We were down at Angelina Plantation in what the locals called a Bayou, but looked more like a ditch with trees to me at that time. The dog had picked up some doves and was just 8 months old. I was on the end of the blind bird passed by and I crippled it. It flew around and out of sight. The dog was huntin so of course he was gone before the shell ejected. The bird was barely grazed and sailed a long way. That meat head b-lined through the dekes and out of sight a few minutes later returned with his first duck he ever put in his mouth. A while later same hunt a bird pulled the famous dive and low and behold the dog went down right after it. He came back up bird in mouth. That was the first of many times, but I was amazed. I sit and wonder what he might have been capable of if he had been properly trained, but the first all ways takes a special place in your heart and his time is drawing nearer for his big hunt in the sky. I know it is going to tear me all up, but I am grateful for the memories we made.
Second was with my yellow male or should say my wife's. By this point I was getting introduced to the HT world and just been to our first West MS hunt test at that cattle farm. We had been training hard and had big plans as we always do. Then one day got a call from the vet says he has blasto and might not make it. Some how he made it after many nights of bargaining with the good Lord. This is not really a great retrieve but its special to me. My wife begged me to take the dog that weekend cause she said he paces the floor the hole time I am gone. I said I don't know if he is ready, but I'll take him. No nuts one eye an all. Well he made the cut that morning and got to go on the hunt. First bird came by a sprig and was winged and sailed out into the middle of the field. It was a long way and there was water land and then another hole where the bird went down. I wasn't sure if he saw it. I gave him a good line. He crossed the first hole and popped on the bank of the land a little off line. I gave him an over and then a big back cast. he took it went cross the second hole to the bird. He was coming back with that bird and I had to fight back tears thinking about all that dog had been through to do what he lives to do.
Bottom line we are lucky to have these animals intials, ribbons, or just the good ol meat dog. Like Gator mentioned the friends made through training or on the net are priceless. It just adds a little more to make this worth it. I needed a good thread like this kinda gets you back to thinking why you really love this sport.

Because I shoot your limit AND mine? Get over it Cracker.

my was simply watchin my pup get her first duck........ i was too busy gettin a dip of snuff when a group of woodies flew by at a hole outside of meridian when i heard bang bang bang and looked up and saw nothing, but when i looked down at her she had her eye on one thing, so i casted her out and right back she came with a woodie hen, it was not the way i wanted it to go down, but i still enjoyed the moment.

same here.

my girl pickin up my first shot flier and runnin back to me like nothins wrong.

good thread.. does me good to think back over it all.

first dog, Chase.. 'duck chaser' was part of his reg. name, and thats where I came up with this handle 5 years ago on Vire's board, since there was of course, already a Steve...

anyhow, got him during duck season, and one year later, that 'waterdog' was the baddest dude I'd ever seen, at that time, and still never seen a better all around dog. his first hunt was a 4 man limit, and he cleaned it up like a pro. to handle that dog and pick up my paw-n-law's ducks (who took me on many of my first duck hunts), and see it all come together for the first time with a first dog, was a proudest moment for sure.

after 200+ more ducks that year, I lost him in an accident the following summer, and he took a big piece of me with him.


ffw to the Rusty dawg, my first modern program/HT dog. far as friends made etc., finding his breeder was a big stroke of luck.. they've been a huge help along the way, but also shipped my pup back to MS with Vires and Travis. If it wasn't for that, I'd have a nice duck dog, and be bow huntin in the morning, instead of getting ready for a HT this weekend.. still not sure if I should thank em, or cuss em.

lots of folks point at their HR as a favorite, but not as much for me. that point in time was a struggle, a cram session of a different type of training, mostly solo, and trying to manage those seasoned tests with a LOT of dog. I remember our first run. Barlow and Harwell in the chair.. I send crackhead for the go-bird,

(Harwell) "open and on?"..........

(Harwell) "OPEN - AND - ON ????"

(me) "what the hail are you talkin about???" bwaaaahahahaha

I'd guess Barlow never suspected he'd be handing us a HRCH title ribbon one day..


proudest HT moment was our first finished run at east ark. proud of myself for doing my part, and waiting until I knew he could handle it (that finished line). he smacked it, and I finally had confidence in us. was also very proud of his effort in our first qualifying. the FT prep/training was eye opening. learned a ton, and made even more dog folk friends doing it.

far as the duck woods go, he does something that makes me proud every time theres a chance to.. theres a few stand outs, but I've rambled enough.

Been gone one day and miss all this!!!!

I will admit, East Arkansas was the proudest I have ever been with the teamwork between me and Nash at a test. Chance remembers it as I am sure so does Duck Chaser.

The day we hunted at the Cutoff was another memory that will be forever etched in my brain, some of you know others don't but Daisy is Nashs' offspring. It was funny how that black dog of mine hit the water, he was gone!!!!!!

But the proudest I have ever been at any hunt test was the last time SFHRC had our hunt test at the Seay Place. Kelli and the kids came down for the Sat gig, and I was running Nash in Season and Started to be able to meet my judging qualifications. I had ran Seasoned on Sat and had plans on running Started on Sun. When I told Kelli what I was doing Kaitlyns eyes lit up, she wanted to run Nash. To make a long story short she hung with me for the rest of the day and that evening, Kelli took Rebecca home on Saturday night and Kaitlyn spent the night with me and come Sunday she was so excited about running she could not stand it.

We get to the holding blind on Sunday and she worked with Nash on keeping him calm, she told him how good he was and how easy this test was going to be. When she got him to the line, of course I was with her but she did all the work. When she got that ribbon Sunday, she had a tear in her eye. To this day that started ribbon is in her room over her bed.

Funny how with 3 master passes, 4 senior passes 5 or 6 finished passes, 5 seasoned passes, 3 upland passes and one B/W from the Grand, the best one is a Started ribbon that a HRCh dog picked up.

To this day I still owe Meeka and Ms Deb a big thank you!!!!

.......every time I tell him to bring me the phone or the remote........I can be a lazy booty from time to time.


HRCH title.....1st Master Pass........HR title......

The one that really sticks out in my mind is our second master test, running in a mostly dry catfish pond at Flora. Triple with a posion bird blind with a loooonnnnnggggg middle bird. It was raining HARD and lighting was coming down close enough that the test was called 1 dog later. It was so bad the judges said that they would not mark down for handles due to the weather. Anyway, got up there and Ace did not even see the long memory bird, and I didn't either. I knew about where they had been falling. He ran the blind clean, no problems with the poison, pick the first two marks up with a handle. So I lined him up and sent on loud back and he took off........held the straightest line he has every ran in his life through some cover that I coould not see him in. He ran 3 or 4 yards to the right of the bird and checked back and snagged it. Everyone in the galley started hollaring and even the judges got excited. I was pumped to say the least. I lost him in the 3rd series with 2 handles in the perfect weather, but to this date that is still my proudest moment at a hunt test.

Hunting.....we clipped a grey duck and it started to sail out to the open water. We were hunting a little pocket of water on the edge of a big slough.......was damm cold.......walked around the edge util I saw a speck or something in the water 150 yards out that I thought might be a duck. The wind was blowing the bird away from us so I sent him. by the time he got to it, it was 250 yards away.......took every cast and trusted my that there was somethign out there in that big open freezing water.

I can't imagine not hunting with a dog.

gator ought to really appreciate this one


10 years ago I went to the Old South HRC test and ran seasoned on Saturday to finish up our HR title and Sunday we stepped up to finished. Saturday night we were at the tailgate party and they had pulled pork BBQ for supper. Lo and behold, about 10:00 that night, it was just me and "Belle" in my hotel room and I got to crampin so bad I thought I was gonna die.

About 3:00am I was on fire, hadn't slept, felt like I'd swallowed broken glass and it was shootin out my booty. I had full blown food poisoning and wished I would just die. I called my bud Joe Migliore, the trainer I was workin for during college and told him he might have to take my booty to the hospital. About 6:30 that morning I apparently blew the last of the broken glass outa my gut and just had a good case o the trots.

Pete Stritzinger was the judge, and he was the President of HRC at the time I believe and he had set up a bugger of a water test. You had to wade out in the water about thigh deep, shoot a meaty indented triple and then run a poison bird blind. The poison bird was eatin up dawgs left and right. I was just laying in my truck makin trips to the woodline about every 5 minutes alternating pukin and chittin when it came time to run.

I got in the holdin blind, shakin in my boots both from dehydration, feelin like the little dutch boy with his finger in the dike holdin back a wall o liquid chit, and worryin about this test the last 8-9 dogs had bombed. I had to holler at my buddy Joe to come hold Belle twice while I was in the holding blind so I could hit the woodline again.

I waded out into that water, looked down at Belle and I just knew something special was about to happen cause she just looked up like "don't worry dude, hold in that chit I know is comin cause I gots some work to do". Marks come out, I shoot the marks and the honor dog shot the blind and I reached a shaky hand down there and let her loose. She lined the blind and laser-lined each mark to earn the only standing, cheering ovation of the weekend.

The bad part was, I had to hand her to Pete and run chit in the water behind some buckbrush cause I couldn't make it to the bank

I'll never forget it, probably cause Joe doesn't let me forget it and every time I see Pete he just starts laughin

[quote="skuna"].......every time I tell him to bring me the phone or the remote........I can be a lazy booty from time to time.


HRCH title.....1st Master Pass........HR title......

The one that really sticks out in my mind is our second master test, running in a mostly dry catfish pond at Flora. Triple with a posion bird blind with a loooonnnnnggggg middle bird. It was raining HARD and lighting was coming down close enough that the test was called 1 dog later. It was so bad the judges said that they would not mark down for handles due to the weather. Anyway, got up there and Ace did not even see the long memory bird, and I didn't either. I knew about where they had been falling. He ran the blind clean, no problems with the poison, pick the first two marks up with a handle. So I lined him up and sent on loud back and he took off........held the straightest line he has every ran in his life through some cover that I coould not see him in. He ran 3 or 4 yards to the right of the bird and checked back and snagged it. Everyone in the galley started hollaring and even the judges got excited. I was pumped to say the least. I lost him in the 3rd series with 2 handles in the perfect weather, but to this date that is still my proudest moment at a hunt test.



I was there to witness this. One of the best fetches I can remember. Kinda one of those warm fuzzy feelings.

Sorry Ramsey

But bamak9 bumped you out of 1st place , i cried i was laughing so hard !

Copiah Creek wrote:Sorry Ramsey

But bamak9 bumped you out of 1st place , i cried i was laughing so hard !

If i was there i would ever let Bama forget it either.

Man i have enjoyed these stories. "Man's best friend"

I witnessed Troy's AM finish at the Cattle Ranch....

Very Nice. Goosebumps watching Troy get his first all age finish.

That was a hell of a swim in the damn cold.

CW[/quote]

Copiah Creek wrote:Sorry Ramsey

But bamak9 bumped you out of 1st place , i cried i was laughing so hard !

every time I'm at a hunt test and they serve BBQ I laugh about it ............. as I'm on my way to get something else to eat.

"Proudest Moment......" man I don't know, I could type for awhile......

One that sticks out in my mind.....3rd series at Memphis in my VERY first derby. Stayed at the Sprig plantation, and was about to puke all night. Had told everyone, that if I "could just get to the 2nd" I would be happy. Looking at the dogs and handlers.....PROS stacked armpit deep. I'm thinking we aint got a snowballs chance. Welp, got to the second, most everybody did. 2nd, she picks 'em up, but with a slight checkdown on the memory, but realizes "this aint it" and keeps diggin.

On to the 3rd!!! And the guts are boiling. TIGHT double, go bird is about a 100 yds, in about shin deep grass, memory is right off the backside of the short gun, about 250, long and flat, and halfway up a levee right at the fall. EVERYDOG I had watched run, hooked the long gun, up to that point.

Go to the line, show her the guns, call for the birds. Birds out, judge says, "Dog" and I kick her off. Puts the go bird twixt her feet. Gets back to the line and backs up the last 10 yds LOCKED in on the memory. Kick her off and she's pullling a damn laser line to it. Wind is/has been kicking left to right, and at the point dogs are fading, her left shoulder drops just a little, holding her line. I'm thinking out LOUD "hold your line, hold your line....." She does and slows down to 146 MPH and puts her face on it. I can't help but holler out a big yell, crowd goes to clappin and cheering and I look back and Sprig, CF and company are doing the damn "Wave" behind the gallery cheering. One judge goes "DAMN!!!!" and the other says" Helluva job, see you at the 4th!!" If a man can actually STOP a smile in a situation like that, somethings wrong with him.

Went to the 4th, picks em' up clean and we get a 4th place ribbon. One older very respected FT'r put his arm around me the next day and tells me that HE thought I had placed higher than 4th, but "welcome to FT politics." I didn't give a chit, first derby we every ran, one guy (a nobody) with one dog.

Orrrr I could babble about the 400 + yd single flier at Mobile's Derby she smashed. JAM there due to handler!!!!!

Then there are the funnier moments.....(BILL) while running a seasoned blind at South Miss (another dog that I had), the judge ask me if I needed his 4 wheeler to go get my dog. That dog was 200 yds on the horizon still running!!! I told him "nahhhh, she'll be back in a minute or I'll pick her up on the interstate on the way home!!!"

I have been halfway around the world while I was in the Coast Guard. Drove a fire truck and Bamalance for over 18 yrs now. Meet people from all walks of life. BUT I can without a doubt say, the people I've met through dogs are by far the BEST people I have ever met!! Justin, Pat & Cindy, Bill, Ronnie, Troy, Travis, Chuck, Steve, Billy,...........chit the list goes on and on. Good thing I had free long distance and then free cell to cell, or I would have had to take a 3rd job just for phone bills. Never once has someone not wanted to help or listen about a problem, or just talk dogs.

Thanks for "THE RIDE!!!!!"

Chip

bigbeeducker wrote:

skuna wrote:.......every time I tell him to bring me the phone or the remote........I can be a lazy booty from time to time.


HRCH title.....1st Master Pass........HR title......

The one that really sticks out in my mind is our second master test, running in a mostly dry catfish pond at Flora. Triple with a posion bird blind with a loooonnnnnggggg middle bird. It was raining HARD and lighting was coming down close enough that the test was called 1 dog later. It was so bad the judges said that they would not mark down for handles due to the weather. Anyway, got up there and Ace did not even see the long memory bird, and I didn't either. I knew about where they had been falling. He ran the blind clean, no problems with the poison, pick the first two marks up with a handle. So I lined him up and sent on loud back and he took off........held the straightest line he has every ran in his life through some cover that I coould not see him in. He ran 3 or 4 yards to the right of the bird and checked back and snagged it. Everyone in the galley started hollaring and even the judges got excited. I was pumped to say the least. I lost him in the 3rd series with 2 handles in the perfect weather, but to this date that is still my proudest moment at a hunt test.



I was there to witness this. One of the best fetches I can remember. Kinda one of those warm fuzzy feelings.

thanks